aircannonsinc Chapter 1186 Lu Jia felt disgusted
Chapter 1186 Lu Jia felt disgusted
Lu Jia and Ran Qiuye chatted for a while longer, from which type of cotton fabric would be softest for a baby's swaddling clothes to how much slack to leave when making a padded jacket for the baby during seasonal changes. The conversation flowed slowly, like the old vine in the corner of the yard, twining around but not pricking. Seeing that the sky outside the window had completely darkened and the light bulb under the eaves had lit up, casting a warm yellow glow, Lu Jia slowly got up, supporting herself on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), gently supporting her belly with her hand, and said with a smile, "Sister Qiuye, it's getting late. I'm feeling heavy, and I'm afraid I'll tire myself out if I walk too slowly. I need to go back and rest. Gu Nan isn't home, and if you're alone with the baby at night and feel scared when you get up, just call out to my yard, and I'll put on some clothes and come over to keep you company. It's close by anyway."
Ran Qiuye smiled, carrying the newly awakened child in her arms to the door. The child's little hands clutched at her clothes, babbling softly. She waved her hand, "It's alright, you can go back without worry. Blackie at the gate is very clever. With him guarding it, not only people, but even stray cats climbing over the wall will be barked at. Nothing can be missed. With him around, I feel very secure." That old yellow dog had been with the Gu family for several years. It was intelligent and highly vigilant. At night, the slightest disturbance would make it prick up its ears and bark alertly, which certainly gave it a lot of courage.
Lu Jia nodded, saying nothing more, and slowly walked home, leaning against the wall. A few clumps of wild grass grew in the cracks between the bricks, swaying gently in the evening breeze. She knew perfectly well that many things couldn't be rushed—the unspeakable shady dealings between He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu, Ran Qiuye's subtle wariness of her, the hidden intricacies and gossip in the courtyard—all these things had to be dealt with little by little, like kneading dough; rushing would only make things fall apart. Right now, the most important thing was to recover well, eat three proper meals a day, and sleep soundly at night. Once the baby was safely delivered, she would have solid leverage, and then, regardless of the He family's affairs or the gossip in the courtyard, everything would be much easier to handle.
A gentle evening breeze swept through the alley, carrying a hint of early autumn coolness, ruffling the stray hairs on Lu Jia's forehead. She pulled her coat tighter, her steps slow and deliberate, as if walking on cotton, yet steady and firm, each step firmly planted on solid ground. One by one, the lights in the courtyard came on, casting flickering shadows through the paper-covered windows—some bent over cooking, some soothing children, and others mending clothes under the lamplight, like a painting concealing countless stories, quietly unfolding in the night.
Lu Jia turned and walked towards her own yard, her shoes crunching over the pebbles at the gate. Gu Nan's black dog, Hei Zi, lay in front of the shed. Seeing her approach, it merely raised its eyelids lazily. Its amber eyes shone like clear crystals in the sunlight; after glancing at her, it flicked its tail and disappeared back into the shade of the shed, without even a bark.
As soon as it curled back into its nest lined with old cotton, its ears perked up with a "whoosh," and a faint, almost invisible silver glow emanated from its body. This was its unique ability—to use its divine sense to send a message to Gu Nan, who was far away.
“Master,” Hei Zi’s voice rang out directly in Gu Nan’s mind, with a short, canine-like quality, “Lu Jia just went to your house and spoke a few words with Ran Qiuye. She asked about the prenatal checkup, and it seemed like she was inquiring about the days you would be going out.”
There was a moment of silence on Gu Nan's end, with the faint sound of a pen scratching across paper in the background. After a while, his steady voice came back: "I understand. Did she say anything else? Like about the factory, or what's going on in the yard?"
“She didn’t say much,” Hei Zi answered truthfully, her nose twitching as she caught the faint scent of perfume left by Lu Jia in the air. “She just chatted about pregnancy symptoms for a few minutes and left after sitting for less than fifteen minutes. Ran Qiuye asked her to drink some water, but she didn’t respond.”
Gu Nan didn't press the matter further. He held the pen between his fingers, his brows slightly furrowed. Lu Jia was a woman of deep thoughts; she seemed amiable on the surface, but there was always something unsettling hidden in her eyes. Her sudden visit to Qiu Ye couldn't have been just to inquire about prenatal checkups—there was definitely something fishy going on.
“I’ve got it,” Gu Nan’s voice deepened, carrying an undeniable command. “If she goes that way again, keep a close eye on her. Every word she says to Qiu Ye, every action she takes, even if her cup bumps against the edge of the table while she’s drinking water, write it all down and report it to me. Understand?”
"Don't worry, Master!" Hei Zi replied immediately, his tail lightly sweeping twice in the den. "I guarantee I'll keep a closer eye on things than a cat watches a mouse; not a single hair will escape!"
Having said that, it twitched its ears, quietly slipped out of the shed, and lay down on the bluestone slab in front of Gu Nan's house. The sun warmed the stone, and it squinted its eyes, seemingly dozing off, but in reality, every nerve was taut—its ears were picking up any sound in the yard, and its nose was distinguishing the scent of every person passing by, especially the direction of Lu Jia's house, which was a key "monitoring" area.
Less than half an hour later, Hei Zi's ears twitched—Lu Jia came out of the house.
She had just reached the center of the courtyard when she saw Qin Huairu returning from outside, her face flushed. She was clutching something wrapped in oil paper in her hand. When she saw Lu Jia, she paused noticeably and awkwardly moved aside, as if afraid of being bumped into.
Lu Jia knew perfectly well—this person must have just met with He Yuzhu. The shape of the oil paper package most likely indicated that it contained steamed buns that He Yuzhu had brought back from the cafeteria. Thinking about the secret dealings between the two, a nameless fire ignited within her, burning fiercely.
But she didn't show it on her face at all; she even nodded to Qin Huairu as a greeting. There was no need to get angry over someone unrelated—especially a widow like Qin Huairu who wanted to cling to someone else after losing her man. She had more important things to consider now.
Lu Jia stormed back into the house. He Yuzhu was busy at the stove, wearing a blue apron, the chicken soup bubbling away, filling the room with its aroma. Seeing her come in, he immediately turned around, a fawning smile on his face: "You're back? Perfect timing, dinner's almost ready! I stir-fried some spinach for you and steamed some egg custard, it's so tender, come and eat."
Looking at his expression, Lu Jia's anger flared up again. The thought of him having just finished a secret rendezvous with Qin Huairu and then turning around to fawn over her made her feel nauseous, even the aroma of the chicken soup seemed cloying.
But she suppressed her temper, walked to the table, sat down, picked up an empty bowl, and said calmly, "Alright, I'll just have some porridge, I'm not hungry."
He Yuzhu's spatula clattered against the bottom of the pan. He walked over, tugged at her arm, and said with a hint of deliberate concern, "How can you not be hungry? You know you're carrying my baby now, you need to eat more to get nutrition. Look at this steamed egg custard, I specially added some sesame oil, it used to be your favorite."